Chéri || Fred Weasley

lxxxi

It was noon and Fred had just left the shop for his lunch break, the beautiful girl with dark hair with her arm linked with his as they walked together to get lunch. From the corner of his eye, he spotted and all too familiar mop of blonde hair, but, it couldn't be. She had left and promised to never come back. He stopped dead on his tracks and caught a glimpse of the blonde haired girl who was smiling and shaking hands with the old man, owner of a building that had been empty for years.

His heart was beating out of his chest when Madeleine turned around and met his eyes, the two of them seemed to have frozen in time as they looked at each other in the midst of the crowded alley. Fred couldn't believe his eyes as he walked past the crowd, a surprised grin on his face as he wrapped his arms around her, embracing her into a tight hug. Madeleine relished on the feeling of his warmth, his scent, his arms around her. She could have died of happiness and gone to heaven in his arms, the arms that were her comfort, the arms that were her home. But the embrace stopped way quicker than she would have wanted.

"Mads," he smiled brightly and took a good look at her. She looked as ethereal as she always did. Her hair flowing perfectly, her flawlessly carved face bright and full of life. Her eyes no longer grief striken, the jade green irises that enamored him shinning brightly.

"Freddie," she whispered and scanned him. His handsome face just like she remembered, just like she dreamed of. The mischievous glint still in his eyes, his smile perfect like it always was.

"This is unbelievable! I thought you weren't coming back!" Fred said.

"I didn't plan to come back but I got a divine intervention, basically," she nodded.

"You look great," he chuckled.

"Thank you, so do you," Maddie said and someone clearing her throat snapped her from the trance Fred Weasley had her in.

"Mads, you remember Angelina, right?" Fred said and wrapped his arm around the other gryffindor's waist.

"Right, how could I forget!" Maddie said and turned around to the girl who was deadly glaring at her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Angelina said coldly. "Fred and I are engaged actually!"

"Engaged?!" Maddie repeated and felt her heart breaking in a million pieces, but knowing that truth now, but she couldn't let it show how much pain those six words had caused her. "Wow, congratulations that's wonderful!"

"Yes, two months ago he proposed and we have our date set already!" Angelina smirked. "But now I'm thinking we should push it a bit forward."

"That is just wonderful, congratulations you two," Maddie did her best to smile but nothing came. "If I would have known, I wouldn't have overstepped Angelina. I'm sorry."

"I wrote to you," Fred said lowly.

"I didn't get any letters," Maddie lied, her voice cracking.

"Oh," Fred nodded, "that explains why then."

"And you're back!" Angelina said with fake enthusiasm."May I ask why?"

"I'm finally following my life long dream-"

"You're opening the café," Fred beamed.

"I am, in a month it'll finally be open," Maddie smiled, trying to not let any of the tears she was holding escape. "I just finished signing the deal for the premises and rebuilding will start tomorrow."

"That's bloody brilliant Mads, I'm really happy for you," Fred ran his hands through his red hair.

"I'm even happier for the two of you," she said in a high pitch voice.